It is estimated that the operation of the first plastic recycling plant from used general purpose and hard plastic bags will bring significant benefits for the protection of the environment, for the fulfillment of the European obligations of Cyprus, but also for the prospects of the country in the field of recycling and reuse. from packaging bottles.
The factory of CYPELLETS Ltd, a subsidiary of the Poullaidis group of companies, recently started its full operation in the Third Industrial Area of Limassol (Agios Silas) and today its management welcomed representatives of the media, who informed them about its work.
As indicated by the management, the plastics used by the unit as raw material, either ended up in landfills or were exported abroad, since there was no unit in Cyprus to absorb the specific material, which is now returned to its original form for reuse.
Specifically, the factory has the ability to pulverize and rinse 1,500 kg of material per hour, to convert it into pellets of any color it wishes, so that it can be reused by companies active in the production of plastics, either inside or outside Cyprus.
With an annual processing capacity of 11,500 tons of polyethylene, the plant can absorb virtually the entire production of this type of waste in Cyprus.
Commenting on the opening of the factory, which last year was under trial, the Chairman of the Board of CYPELLETS Ltd, Christos Poullaidis, said that its creation is a response to the problem of management of recyclable materials in Cyprus “which is unfortunately in second worst position in Europe, in the production of waste per person per year (626 kg) ”.
In Cyprus, he added, 75% of waste unfortunately ends up in landfills, a percentage much higher than the average of European countries, which is around 28%.
“If we do not do something soon, we will be overwhelmed, with significant fines as a country, so I want to believe that this unit is only the beginning of the effort made to make our Cyprus the miracle of recycling,” he added.
Mr. Poullaidis noted that the factory, which employs about 45 people, uses state-of-the-art machinery of German-Austrian origin, which were selected after thorough inspections of similar factories in nine foreign countries.
